On Air Now David Francis 10:00am - 2:00pm Gabrielle - Dreams Schedule

Child Exploitation Awareness Day Event In Newport This Weekend

An event to tackle child exploitation is taking place in Newport tomorrow (Saturday).

It will coincide with the charity NWG Network’s National Child Exploitation Awareness Day.

Teams from Isle of Wight Police will be at Newport library between 1pm and 4pm. Joining them will be a number of agencies including the Youth Offending Team, Children’s Services, Network Ryde, the NHS, Community Action IOW and other community safety partners.

This is an opportunity for members of the public to find out more about child exploitation and how to report it.

Exploitation can take many forms and can blight the lives of children and their families.

Abusers use blame, shame and guilt to coerce children into criminal and sexual activity, and once under the control of criminals, children can find it very hard to reach out for help.

A spokesperson for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said:

"We want to expose those who abuse children in this way, and highlight the warning signs that parents, carers and teachers should be aware of so that they can intervene at an early stage.

"The police and partners will not hesitate in doing everything we can to safeguard and support young people, while seeking to target adults who treat children as their property to fulfil their criminal activity."

In addition to the event, officers will also be out on patrol in the Newport area speaking to young people to make them aware of exploitation, offering them advice and reassurance and making sure they know who to speak to if they’re worried about anything.

More from Isle of Wight News